


The Cave

by TanukiHuki



Series: Petrichor [1]
Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Alpha Hyouga, Alpha Shishiou Tsukasa, Alternate Universe - A/B/O Dynamics, Angst, Angst with a happy ending?, Beta Asagiri Gen, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Forced Pregnancy, Multi, Multiple Perspectives, NOT A ONE SHOT, Omega Ishigami Senkuu, Omega Saionji Ukyo, Omegaverse, Plot With Porn, Probably ooc, Smut, Tags May Change, This contains dubcon as well as noncon, This gets more plot heavy as it goes on, Why Did I Write This?, You Have Been Warned, multiple shots, this changes perspectives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:55:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26777710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TanukiHuki/pseuds/TanukiHuki
Summary: Senku told himself that he would escape, he would start again, he would save all seven billion people.But in the deep recesses of his mind, Senku knew he’d lost hope.
Relationships: Asagiri Gen/Ishigami Senkuu, Chrome/Saionji Ukyou, Hyouga/Ishigami Senkuu, Ishigami Senkuu/Shishiou Tsukasa
Series: Petrichor [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1970020
Comments: 11
Kudos: 195





	1. The memory

Senku was tired, so very tired. The entirety of his body ached, from his head to his feet there echoed a dull pain.

The cave that was his prison, or what Tsukasa referred to as his “home”, was freezing. Cold winter air blew in from between the furs that covered the entrance. Senku knew the guards that stood outside must be near hypothermia.

He had become fond of the cave, in a twisted way, the walls were covered in random calculations he had solved to keep himself sane in the first months of his imprisonment. Those months where he still had hope of his escape. The floor was covered in furs that the omega was currently nestled in, trying to keep out the cold.

There were clay pots strewn everywhere, they were usually brought by _his_ lackeys, full of ingredients for the revival formula. It was Senku’s job to mix it together, Tsukasa made sure he never had anything but the furs and pots in his cave, he would not underestimate Senku again.

It had been cruel, the way things ended. The way one by one the village warriors had fallen, the way the village was overtaken by _his_ army. The rest of the villagers had fallen in line, Senku couldn’t blame them. How Hyouga had dragged Senku before Tsukasa’s throne.

Hyouga had found him from his scent, his stupid scent. Senku had known his heat had been nearing and yet he had been a fool. His heat...

He swallowed, his throat constricted by the collar around his neck.

The memory invaded his mind like a disease, he huddled deeper under the furs as if trying to avoid it, but it broke through his pitiful defences.

_ “So you’ve finally done it haven’t you, Tsukasa?” He was kneeling before him, Hyouga’s spear pressing into his back. Blood was dripping from his mouth and nose, his clothes torn and feet bare and scraped from being dragged so far. _

_ “It seems I have, yet I find no joy in it, those natives were strong. They could’ve allied themselves with me and spared their lives.” He was reclining on his throne, he looked dangerous, sinister. His eyes were boring into Senku’s. Dark, soulless brown into wild, terrified ruby. _

_“Now you’re going to kill me, aren’t you?” He tried to disguise his terror with his usual confidence. He was failing_.

“ _Not exactly.” The alpha rose, towering over Senku’s kneeling form. “Hyouga told me how he found you.” Their eyes met again, Senku looked away. Suddenly the press of the spear disappeared from his back, he was roughly pulled to his feet._

_ “Leave us.” Tsukasa ordered. The lackeys who were watching looked confused, before obeying. Senku glanced behind him, Hyouga was gone, it was just him and Tsukasa. A hand gripped his chin and turned him to face his captor. “I didn’t think that you would lie about your dynamic.” _

_ “I never told you, you just assumed.” Senku retorted. _

_ Tsukasa didn’t answer, but his hand had moved from the omega’s chin to his cheek. He looked to be in deep thought. _

_ “If only I’d known then.” The alpha’s whisper carried in the empty cave, Senku’s heart had begun to race faster, he could feel it thudding against his ribs. _

_ “Wouldn’t have made a difference.” It took so much effort to stop his voice shaking. _

_Tsukasa smiled, a cold smile that froze the omega’s blood. His thumb caressed Senku’s cheek and he was frozen solid despite being in heat. He could not move, he felt like a statue again, trapped, petrified._

_ “It would’ve made all the difference.” The alpha leaned down, his face near Senku’s neck and he breathed deeply, drawing in Senku’s own scent. He was so close that his own scent carried over, it was an earthy scent but it was tainted with spice. Lust, Senku realised, the realisation broke his frozen state. _

_ “You’re in heat.” _

_ He shoved the taller male away, but before he could make a further move Tsukasa had pinned him to the floor. Senku cried out as he hit the cold stone. _

_ Senku couldn’t push him off, but he tried. Shoving his hands against the larger mans chest until they were pinned above his head by only one of the alpha’s. _

_ “Whatever you’re planni-“  _

_Tsukasa had placed his finger over his lips. “Shhh_ ” 

_ Senku angrily jerked his head away. The adrenaline had made him mouthy. “As if that’s going to silence me.” He spat. _

_ The alpha above him smirked. “Then maybe this will.” Tsukasa’s lips were on his own, fiercely kissing him. One of his hands had found its way into Senku’s hair, it was holding his head in place while the alpha devoured his lips.  _

_ As suddenly as it had begun, the kiss was broken.  _

_ “Join me, Senku.”  _

_ Panic clouded his senses as his head was once again turned to meet the alpha’s searing gaze. _

_“You won’t give me a choice, will you? Just the illusion of one.” He hated how broken his voice sounded, how fast his heart was beating in his chest. He closed his eyes, fearing what would happen next_.

_ Tsukasa didn’t answer. Senku felt himself being dragged upwards by his hands. _

_ “There never was a choice, my omega.” The alpha settled himself onto the throne, he pulled Senku onto his lap. _

_ The omega struggled, fighting against the iron grip Tsukasa had on his hips. He slowly ran his hands up and down Senku’s body. _

_ His lips found Senku’s neck, he began to lay featherlight kisses near his scent gland. _

_“There was Might or death, you chose death, yet avoided it. You would chosen death again and evaded it once again, I cannot let that happen. Not now I know the truth_.”

_ Tears were building in Senku’s eyes. His struggles dying while Tsukasa lifted the torn skirt. He shut his eyes when he felt fingers pressing into him, trying to ignore the arousal and warmth that his heat had brought. _

_ The omega let out a choked noise, it could’ve been a sob or a moan. He felt Tsukasa slowly becoming hard under his loincloth. Tsukasa removed his fingers, now coated in slick. _

_ “I-I Chose science and I’ll do it again and again. I-I’m going to save all seven billion people.” He stuttered out. _

_ He hadn’t noticed Tsukasa moving aside his loincloth, his member standing erect and tall. The alpha laughed, a humourless laugh. _

_ He lifted Senku onto him, the omega cried out at the sudden intrusion. _

_ “No!” The tears falling down his cheeks now, he couldn’t stop them. _

_“Let me tell you about how your plan to save humanity will go.” Tsukasa purred, his hands helping move Senku up and down on his member. The omega gasped as pleasure began to invade his senses_. 

“ _How many statues do you think have been shattered,” He thrust upwards as he pulled Senku down, their hips met and Senku moaned, filled with shame. “crumbled?” Another earth-shattering thrust. “broken so badly not even your dear friend could put them back together?”_

_ His lips found Senku’s, greedily kissing him into oblivion. The grip on Senku’s hips was sure to leave a bruise as he forced him to bounce up and down. Tsukasa let go of his hips to take Senku’s arms that had been hanging uselessly. He placed them round his neck as he took hold of the omega’s hips once more and continued his brutal pace. _

_ “How many do you think have sunk to the bottom of the ocean.” He licked Senku’s scent gland, a haze of heat was slowly overtaking the omega’s body. “How many meteors do you think have hit the earth, eviscerating all statues in their wake?”  _

_ Senku held onto Tsukasa’s shoulders as he stifled moans.  _

T _he alpha smirked. “Let me hear you, my omega.” He began to speed up the pace, ecstasy overtook Senku’s senses as he moaned. “Yes, that’s right. There are none like you Senku.” Tsukasa kissed his throat. “Only I can match you, only I can be your mate.”_

_ Senku shook as he felt the knot begin to swell. There had been one he would’ve freely given his virginity to, not that he cared about such archaic concepts, the mentalist. Gen. He felt himself murmur the name like a prayer. _

_ “Gen?” The cold voice of his captor brought him back to the nightmarish reality, where he did not know if Gen was even alive. “That Beta could not claim you, he could not take you like I am doing nor could he breed you.” _

_ Breed? _

_“No” Senku shouted, trying to prise himself off Tsukasa before the knot took_.

_ Suddenly the alpha’s grip was vice-like on his hips, surely bruising them. “Yes.”  _

_ Tsukasa ground his hips upwards as Senku bounced in his lap. Ecstasy shot through his veins, he wished it didn’t feel so good. He could feel the knot slowly begin to stretch him. Each time his hips moved it entered deeper into him, setting all his nerves alight with pleasure. _

_ “Just imagine the children we’ll create Senku, the strongest and smartest to grace the Earth.” Tsukasa gasped “You would look so good swollen with my child.” _

_ He could feel pressure and ecstasy building, each time his hips were swivelled to take more of Tsukasa’s member he could feel himself slowly slipping into mindless delight. He clenched around Tsukasa and heard the alpha groan.  _

_The pressure building inside was too great to ignore, it felt like he was drowning in heat and sin. The knot had grown to a size that Senku was sure would not fit. Yet as Tsukasa slammed his hips down he felt the knot enter him in it’s entirety. Th_ at _was_ _when the pressure broke, when he arched his back and he clenched around the alpha as waves of ecstasy drowned him._

_ A pain shot through the side of his neck as Tsukasa buried his teeth into his soft flesh, enough to draw blood. Senku cried out in shock and agony and he barely noticed as Tsukasa stopped his thrusting, he didn’t notice the warmth filling him from deep inside. _

_And he tried to deny it, he tried to make mental excuses for why his heat ended early, he tried to reason that his next heat was merely late, but as his abdomen began to swell he could no longer deny the truth_.

It was almost too swollen now, he’d had to replace his tunic with something akin to a dress, it was hemmed with fur and dyed red, it didn’t feel like him. Nothing felt like him anymore. 

The stitching on his new outfit was too well done to be the work of one of the brutes. Yuzuriha, did she know she was making it for Senku? Did she question _why_ she was making something so... airy? Did she know what Tsukasa had  _done_?

The only time Senku was allowed to leave the cave was when he taken to bathe in the hot springs by Tsukasa. He’d attempted to escape many times, Tsukasa always found him and Senku would end up being claimed by the alpha on every conceivable surface in the cave.

He cradled his stomach and curled deeper into the furs, trying to find the barest scrap of warmth so he could rest his weary eyes. Voices from outside disturbed his attempts at slumber. One was far too familiar.

Senku scrambled out of the furs just as Tsukasa walked through the entrance. The chilled wind hit him full force and he began to shiver.

“You’re cold.” Tsukasa’s deep voice sounded concerned. His long strides carried him over to the omega in seconds. Senku felt a weight drop onto his shoulders as the alpha placed his cloak round him.

Tsukasa stroked his stomach almost reverently. He drew Senku into a kiss.

The alpha’s touch lingered on his skin like a bruise, Senku felt wrong, twisted.

~~He missed science, he missed the thrill of creating something, he missed the villagers, he missed Gen.~~

Tsukasa pressed a kiss to his stomach. He continued to stroke it.

“The first of many, I’m sure.” His deep voice echoed in Senku’s head.

He would never escape this place, not without leaving a piece of himself behind.


	2. The Chance

There was a routine that had sprung up during his imprisonment, once every week Tsukasa would bring him to be bathed in the hot springs.

Tsukasa led him out of his prison, the pale sunlight hurt his eyes. He could feel the alpha’s hands pressing on his shoulders, urging him forward. Senku’s life in the past couple of months had been trips between his cave and the hot springs, he’d come to dread the place.

It wasn’t a long trip to the hot springs, but a walk through the settlement seemed like an eternity, everyone would stare as they passed.

The cave which held the hot springs was almost like a cavern, the light did not reach it’s high ceiling. Pools of clear water were scattered throughout, it was lit only by the sun outside which shone off the water and made it glitter.

It was a stunning sight and Senku would’ve thought it was beautiful, if it hadn’t been where he was trapped alone with Tsukasa once a week.

Tsukasa had awoken a doctor, well, medical student was more of an apt description. She was an alpha, she was young, tall and broad. She was also terrified of Tsukasa.

From what Senku had deduced from their interactions, she did not seem on board with Tsukasa’s ideals, or his plans, but like some of his empire she was too paralysed by fear to do anything about it.

“Rei.” Tsukasa’s deep voice echoed round the cave with the sound of rushing water from the hot springs.

The alpha turned too fast, her eyes wide, within seconds her face had been schooled back into a neutral expression.

He wondered if Tsukasa noticed how afraid she was.

“Tsukasa.”

It was the same routine as usual, nothing changed, nothing _ever_ changed. 

The same “How are you, Senku.” He gives the same answers, nothing is different, he still aches from head to toe, he still feels trapped and halfway to insanity in the cave.

Senku answers on autopilot, he works on autopilot a lot, he works on autopilot when he’s making miracle fluid, he works on autopilot when Tsukasa is mating with him. 

He detached himself from his body, let his thoughts lead his mind in any direction.

He was halfway through his mental list of villagers before Rei’s voice snapped him back to reality.

“He should walk more.” She spoke to Tsukasa, “not just weekly visits here, he needs to walk daily.”

“If I grant him that _privilege_ ,” Tsukasa countered. “He will surely use it as a chance to escape.”

_ Privilege _ . The word bounced around Senku’s brain, along with its connotations.

The doctor pursed her lips and frowned. “If he doesn’t exercise, especially this close to his due date, his health is going to decline and so will the health of the child.”

Both alphas stared intently at each other, eventually Rei glanced away. Satisfaction tinged Tsukasa’s scent at the other alpha’s submission.

“I shall consider it.” He smirked, “you may take your leave, Rei.” 

Senku could tell it was against her better judgement, for the briefest second their eyes met and her amber gaze was filled with guilt. She left quickly, her footsteps echoing round the stone cavern.

Tsukasa’s hands trailed up Senku’s legs, then he hooked them underneath the dress-like garment the omega wore, it was easily lifted off his body leaving him bare with nothing underneath.

Goosebumps made their way up his skin as the cold pierced him. He could hear Tsukasa removing his own clothes behind him.

The water of the hot spring prickled his feet as he stepped into it, the alpha followed and pulled him down until Senku was nestled between his legs in the water, leaning back against his chest. 

He found himself staring down at his reflection in the water, he could do nothing but think. It was all he ever did.

_Gen_.

Somehow his mind always made it’s way back to Gen. When Senku had first laid eyes upon him, he had felt nothing but vague curiosity. Sexual attraction didn’t bother him in the modern world, he had never experienced it, but as he got to know Gen more he started wanting his touch, he wanted to know how Gen’s lips felt against his, it was unnerving and distracting but slowly, ever so slowly, he had begun to look forward to spending time with the mentalist. It was like he was magnetic, every time he entered a room Senku was drawn to him, he wanted him by his side, he wanted to talk with Gen until the small hours of the morning about anything, just to hear his voice.

Whenever Gen was gone he felt an ache, he  missed him. Senku found himself staring at the mentalist when he wasn’t looking. He craved his presence, his touch. It confused him, he had never felt such an urge to just  be around another person before. 

Even now, he wasn’t sure what he had felt for the beta.

But it didn’t matter, he hadn’t seen Gen since he was captured. He was sure the beta was dead. The very thought caused a twinge of pain in his chest.

“Senku?” Tsukasa’s deep voice was right by his ear, the omega jerked a little in surprise, the alpha buried his hands in his hair. Senku wasn’t sure why he leant back into his touch.

“I’m just thinking.” He answered breathlessly.

A dark chuckle came from the alpha behind him.

“You think too much.”

_ All that thinking and he couldn’t escape Tsukasa. _

One of the alpha’s hands slid down his body slowly, Senku held his breath as it delved between his legs. Heat flooded down there as the omega bit his lip to hide a groan. Tsukasa’s other hand left his hair and grabbed his chin, tilting his head back so the alpha could kiss his neck.

Tsukasa lifted him out of the water and lay him on the cave floor, the cold stone pressed into his back.

He felt his legs part, the feeling was familiar, this was routine, Tsukasa would mate with him when they had finished bathing. It was why Senku dreaded going to the hot springs.

He felt the alpha move in between his legs, he felt hands gripping his hips with a bruising force, he felt a fullness as Tsukasa entered him. The cold rocks of the cave floor dug into his lower back painfully.

His eyes were shut tight, he thought of anything to try and remove himself from his body, the periodic table, scientific discoveries,  _Gen_ -

Gen’s hands on his hips, Gen stroking his cheek and kissing him. Senku dared not open his eyes lest his fantasy be ruined. 

The angle changed, his hips were lifted off the ground and his body rocked with the force of the thrusts. Tingles of pleasure mixed with the pain of his body scraping against the rocky floor of the cave.

His hands were clenched at his sides, his mind whirring to distract himself from the thrusts that were becoming faster and less rhythmic. Gasps left him, he’d stopped trying to conceal such sounds, Tsukasa always forced him to vocalise them.

Gen lifting his hips, Gen panting above him, Gen’s hips meeting his own as he unleashed inside him.

Senku felt a knot enter him, it took him out of his fantasies about the mentalist, Gen was a beta and betas couldn’t produce knots after all. Senku knew the alpha’s hands were caressing his swollen belly, but he imagined that it was Gen, that he was swollen with Gen’s child-

Senku immediately cut off his train of thought, over his imprisonment he had indulged in his fantasies about Gen, it made the time he spent with Tsukasa bearable yet it also filled him with an awkward emotion he couldn’t quite decipher. 

His fantasies had never gone  that far, he didn’t even  want children and having children with  Gen was so far out of the realm of possibilities such a thought would just depress him.

Tsukasa’s knot deflated fast, he felt the emptiness when the alpha pulled out and moved off him. Senku heard the alpha moving around the cave, probably dressing himself. Opening his eyes, he sat up. The sunlight shimmering off the hot springs hurt his eyes, his back had been bruised by the rough stone floor and his hips ached as usual.

He felt a warm fluid flow down his thighs as he stood up, the sensation made his stomach churn. Droplets of water still ran down his body, goosebumps returned to his skin as the cold winter breeze swept into the cave. The dress like garment was thrown beside him.

It slipped over him as easily as it been been slipped off. The flimsy thing barely gave him any protection from the elements, the freezing air still pierced him and sent shivers through his frail body.

Tsukasa led him back through the settlement to his prison, he spoke suddenly.

“I’ve been thinking.” The alpha’s arm tightened around his shoulder. “Twice a week, I will let you leave your cave.”

Senku stared wide eyed at the alpha, he opened his mouth to say something before Tsukasa spoke again.

“You will walk with someone, and you will only be allowed to walk around the settlement.”

_ He could work with that, he could convince his companion to his side, he could- _

A scent broke his train of thought, a familiar one.

“Ah, Hyouga.” The other alpha merely gave a nod of acknowledgement at Tsukasa. “I was just about to come find you.”

“What do you need.” Hyouga’s cold voice was muffled by his mask.

“Do you know where Ukyo is, I need him.”

The white haired alpha’s eyes had wandered to Senku, he felt dissected under their icy glare. 

“He is guarding the natives of that village with Homura, I’m sure I can send word to him.”

His chest felt lighter somehow, his thoughts racing. This would probably be the only chance he would get to escape, Tsukasa was likely only doing this for the health of the child. Soon it would be born and he would be stuck in the cave again, at the alpha’s mercy.

Determination bubbled inside of him once again, however futile his chance was, at least he had a _chance_.


	3. The Arrow

The scent of petrichor filled the air, but it hadn’t been raining. It was Senku’s scent, in the little time he had in the observatory before his capture the omega had certainly made his mark. The scent was fading however, the one it belonged to hadn’t been in here for almost a year and in the early morning light the dust that filled the air seemed to glitter. Like all of the buildings in the former Kingdom of Science camp, the observatory had been abandoned.

Gen couldn’t hear the villagers from here, they never visited, Tsukasa’s alphas kept a close eye on them. They weren’t likely to fight back, a significant portion of them now lay dead thanks to the crazed alpha’s armies.

_ It was a foolish move to sleep here. _

_Ah_ , but he was selfish and couldn’t resist the omega’s scent, even if it caused his chest to ache with anger and loss. Anything to stave off the grief that had made it’s home in his chest.

He sat up from his warm bed, which he had laid next to Senku’s unmade bedroll, that was where his scent was strongest after all. In the early dawn, it was likely that Tsukasa’s lot were still asleep. Gen quickly dressed himself and slid as quietly as he could down the ladder, trying to avoid any snow crunching underfoot.

Nothing stirred but the birds, he was sure some of the villagers were awake, but there was no sound from the village.

Gen hadn’t forgotten why he was here in the first place, as much as he yearned for even the faintest reminder of Senku, he had come back to the abandoned camp for a reason.

Kinro’s wounds had been healing, the beta had insisted on hunting to ‘lessen the burden’ and reopened them. Infection had set in not long after, Gen couldn’t find any of the herbs that fought such infections in the wild. So, as a last resort he had returned to the abandoned camp to search Chrome’s hut for any leftover supplies.

He could only find a little garlic and echinacea, they were wilted and dry but both were good natural antibiotics, Gen wasn’t too bothered by his small haul. The rest of the herbs had turned bad or rotted in the nine months that it had been, Chrome’s hut was also covered in at least an inch of dust. It was a solemn sight. 

The phone they had made was safely stored in Senku’s makeshift lab, along with all the glass science equipment. Every time Gen visited he made sure it was still there, they hadn’t had time to enact their plan but he had a feeling that it would come in handy one day.

With the small pouch containing the herbs securely stashed in his sleeve, Gen slunk quietly into the forest, making sure his footsteps were as silent as possible.

There was the sound of a branch breaking overhead.

He jumped and stared up at it, frozen. The leaves were dense, in the weak morning light he couldn’t see clearly.

Gen narrowed his eyes, he couldn’t afford to be careless. 

_ They were expecting him to return, if he was late they would worry. _

_ Better worried then dead. _

He remained stood under the tree for at least five minutes, five minutes that felt like hours. Walking straight back to camp would have to be delayed, he decided that he would take the long route.

It was midday by the time Gen made it back to their camp, they had found a very small cave, Chrome had dug up bushes and reburied them around the entrance. If Gen climbed to the tops of the trees near it, he could just about see Ishigami Village.

He stood just outside the concealed cave and cleared his throat. Immediately the snow-covered bushes parted as the angry face of Chrome poked through.

“Where were you? We thought you’d been caught!” The alpha pulled Gen through the bushes and into the cave.

“Sorry, I thought someone had seen me and I had to make sure I wasn’t being followed.”

Their small hideout had enough space for their small bedrolls and a fire, said fire was never usually lit, only in the coldest nights did they consider it. It had been the home of Kinro, Ginro and Chrome ever since the battle against Tsukasa, it had only been 9 months but it felt like a lifetime. Kohaku had joined them six months after the battle, she had been badly injured and stayed in the village but the beta girl acted first and thought second, when her injuries had healed enough for her to move she had tried to lead a revolt and reclaim the village.

When they had sent Chrome to scout near the settlement he had found her with a broken leg, hiding in his former hut. They had all tried to set the bone into a position where it could heal correctly, they had failed and it had healed badly, Gen wasn’t entirely sure it had healed at all.

The beta girl was confined to her bed, unable to walk, she was currently sat up, angrily carving a wooden spearhead with a knife, she merely acknowledged him with a nod. Gen knew she was restless and stir-crazy, but there was nothing he could do about it.

Kinro lay in another bedroll next to her, Ginro sat by him anxiously. Gen pressed his palm against the beta’s forehead, it felt hot to the touch and it was sticky with sweat. The bandages were soaked through and dirty, he tried to remove them as gently as he could but Kinro still moaned in pain when he unwound them. The guard’s eyes flickered open.

“H...how is everyone?” Kinro panted like every word took mountains of effort.

“I didn’t get close enough to see but I don’t think anything’s happened, they all seem alive and well.”

He poured some water from his waterskin onto a rag and carefully washed the outside of the gashes. Gen made quick work of crushing the herbs into a poultice and rubbing them around the red skin bordering the cuts. The bandages they had were poorly made, but they had nothing else to bind the injuries with.

“That will heal him, right?” Ginro’s voice was edged with anxiety. Kinro’s eyes were sliding shut again.

“It’ll help.” Gen tried to take a sip from the waterskin, only to find that it was empty. 

Chrome was starting a fire as Gen began to push aside the bushes guarding the entrance. The alpha raised his eyebrows questioningly and Gen held up the waterskin to answer his silent query.

Snow had settled like a white blanket across the clearing outside, a single branch stuck out of the snow.

It was not a branch. It was straight and smooth and it’s end was feathered.

An arrow stuck out of the snow.

It was like his stomach had dropped from his body, almost like being on a rollercoaster. Shoving the bushes aside, Gen ran back into the cave.

“C-Chrome.” 

The alpha was sitting by the lit fire, and his eyes widened when he saw the expression on Gen’s face.

Gen knew he was as white as the snow outside even though his heart was thumping at a whirlwind pace. 

“I think we‘ve been found.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha cliffhanger
> 
> In this timeline, Senku was captured just before they could deliver the phone to Tsukasa’s empire. It is currently October as it had been nine months since Senku was captured.


	4. The Ally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The mystery behind the arrow is revealed and Gen learns the truth.

Gen had not felt panic this overpowering since the day they had lost to Tsukasa.  Back then he had not shown how terrified he truly was, Kohaku had all but ordered Senku to hide and, much to the omega’s chagrin, Gen had dragged him into the woods. 

He tried to protect Senku and he had  _failed_ , Hyouga had found them, Gen couldn’t fight him, Gen couldn’t even  _ try _ to fight him. When the beta awoke he had been half buried in snow, cold seeping into his very bones, head aching and blood still oozing from a cut on the side of his forehead, night had fallen and Senku was  _ gone. _

How were they going to evade capture? Kinro was bedridden and sickly and Kohaku couldn’t even  _walk_. 

Chrome’s voice sounded like it was coming from somewhere very far away. 

“Found? How? By who?” 

_He had been followed, he shouldn’t have returned to the hideout_ . _ It was his fault. He had failed again. How were they going to escape? Who had shot the arrow? What did it mean?  _

He was hyperventilating, his heart was racing. It wasn’t the first time he’d had a moment like this, Gen was a master at concealing his emotions, no one usually noticed when he panicked. But he could not escape Kohaku or Chrome, they were unnaturally observant. 

“Gen?” Kohaku questioned, concern lacing her voice.

“Outside. There’s an arrow.”

“Just an arrow? You didn’t see anyone?” 

Gen shook his head, heart still racing.

Why was no one moving? Tsukasa was probably already on his way, he was probably already here, just like Senku they were _dead_.

“Weird.” Chrome frowned, he moved past the beta to look through the entrance.

_ Weird. It was weird. Why was it weird? Nothing made sense, everything was jumbl- calm down. _

Gen held his breath, ignoring his lungs screaming out for air. He drew his next breath in slowly, his heart was still thudding against his ribs, pumping adrenaline through his veins.

“I-It’s weird because-“ He drew another deep breath, “because if they had malicious intent, they wouldn’t have notified us with an arrow.” 

_ Yes, that was it.  _

“It would’ve been better to just leave and inform Tsukasa, notifying us would just make us harder to capture.”

“T-then what do they want?” Ginro’s scared voice was loud and it echoed round the cave, Kohaku shushed him.

“Maybe they want to negotiate.” Gen mused, the tremors fading as his heart slowed to it’s usual pace. “But it could always be a trap to lure us all out here.” 

Chrome shook his head. “They’ve already seen you, they know where the entrance to the cave is.”

“Only one way to find out.” Kohaku added.

Before Gen could stop him, Chrome all but ran through the entrance and into the open air, snow crunching under his feet.

“Hello?” 

There was complete silence outside, Gen and Ginro watched from the cave, barely daring to breathe. It felt like a lifetime before somewhere in the trees a figure moved, they stepped out into the light and Gen realised who they were.

Saionji Ukyo’s boyish face stared back at him.

His hands were raised slightly in surrender, his bow was strapped to his back with his quiver. He looked tired and pale, but sweat stuck his white hair to his forehead.

Chrome looked cautious, but the archer wasn’t looking at him, Ukyo’s green eyes were fixed on a point just over the alpha’s shoulder.

Ukyo stared directly at Gen, and when he opened his mouth Gen knew the words were directed at him.

“We need to talk.”

  
There was a pained look in the omega’s eyes that made him uneasy, Ukyo had never seemed on board with Tsukasa’s plans or ideals but the look in his eyes spoke of something that cut far deeper. Cautiously, Gen stepped into the open, half expecting Tsukasa’s alphas to emerge and carry him away to be executed like Senku.

  
“Drop the bow and the quiver first.” He ordered the archer. Ukyo quickly removed the strap which carried the bow and quiver and hung it on a nearby branch. Gen’s eyes scanned him over, there were always places where weapons could be concealed.

“Do you know him?” Chrome’s voice cut through the cold air.

”Yes, he’s one of Tsukasa’s scouts, Saionji Ukyo.” Gen probably should’ve guessed his identity from the arrow, but it wasn’t the time to be scolding himself. The omega stood awkwardly, hands still halfway up beside his face, cheeks reddening from the cold and eyebrows drawn into a frown.

”So, you’ve come to talk. About what?” The beta pried.

“It’s Tsukasa.” Ukyo started suddenly, “I- I can’t just sit by and let him continue what he’s doing. I know some of the empire are just following him because he’s the biggest and strongest, but for the rest he’s ruling through fear, no one will stop him, they can’t.”

”Why come to us? We can’t do anything about it.” Chrome interrupted, brashly. Gen internally screamed, Chrome was not good at subtlety especially when it came to such delicate matters as negotiation. The alpha was correct though, they couldn’t help Ukyo.

”To fight against Tsukasa we’d either need to get the villagers back on our side or convince the people in the Empire to stop following Tsukasa.” Gen mused.   
  
  


“That _was_ our plan though.” Chrome replied. “As long as we have the phone and the record we can pull that off.”

Gen shook his head, chest sinking as the small fragile hope a potential ally had brought him began to dampen. “Transporting the phones would require strength we do not have, Chrome, Ishigami village won’t be swayed to our side and even if they were, Tsukasa would hear about it.”

  
“If Kohaku heals she could take the phone.” Chrome reasoned.

”Kohaku won’t be healing anytime soon, we’d need a professional to help us set her leg in the right position.” The hope was gone now.

”Like a doctor? We have one.” Ukyo piped up, he had been staring at the snow, intently listening to their debate.  
  


”Are they loyal to Tsukasa?” Chrome shot back.

  
  
“Only because she’s afraid of him,” Ukyo contemplated, “although I think she would take the chance to defeat him if presented with one, the issue is I can’t get her down to Ishigami village without it being suspicious.”

”Cant you fake illness or something?” Chrome crossed his arms and sighed, breath visible in the winter air.

  
”I don’t think she can leave the empire, Senku needs her.” 

It was almost a throwaway comment, but it stole the air from Gen’s lungs and froze his thoughts.

_Senku needs her. Present tense. Senku._

Gen drew in a stuttery breath as Chrome gave an elated shout beside him.

“Senku is alive?!” The joy in the alpha’s voice wasn’t something Gen had heard in months. Chrome was grinning from ear to ear.

  
Gen’s chest felt so much lighter, it was like the world has brightened. Senku still walked the Earth, even if they would never meet again Gen was fine with the knowledge that he was still breathing, still _existing_. Something nagged at him, a question at the back of his throat.

”Why would he need a doctor?”

  
_Why was Tsukasa keeping him alive? Was Tsukasa torturing him?_ Unease bloomed inside of him like a weed.

Ukyo didn’t answer, the sorrow in his eyes seemed to grow. Gen was suddenly all too aware of the cold snow, the dying sunlight and the freezing wind that had begun to blow through the trees. As if on cue, Ukyo shivered.

”I think it’s best if we head back inside.” Gen gestured for the omega to follow him as Chrome slipped back into their hideout.   
  


Kohaku had been keeping the fire going while they had been outside, she glared at Ukyo hesitantly as he and Gen entered. Ginro and Kinro stopped their quiet conversation to stare at the newcomer. The warmth of the fire graced his skin and gave him relief from the cold outside, but the unanswered question still hung in the air and the longer Ukyo took to answer the more afraid of said answer Gen became. He turned to the omega expectantly.  
  


”Well?”   
  


The archer would not meet his eyes but instead sat down heavily by the fire. 

“You might want to sit down first.”

—————————

Ukyo couldn’t really tell how long his explanation dragged on for, it felt like hours. The faces of the five listening to him all displayed some sense of horror and darkness had fallen outside by the time he was done.

Once he had finished the blonde girl who had been silently seething erupted.

”I’m going to kill Tsukasa!” She tried to scramble out of her sleeping bag before giving a scream of pain. 

  
“Kohaku, stop!” Chrome grabbed her shoulders as she struggled, tears beading in her eyes.  
  


“Let me go! I want to kill him!” Her fighting died down as her body shook.  
  


Gen was staring into the fire, he had sat quietly through Ukyo’s whole explanation and barely emoted except for the deep frown he wore.

”Gen, we can still save him.” Ukyo began.

”Once the child is born he won’t need the doctor anymore, right?” Gen’s voice was loud and sudden, startling the archer, he wasn’t looking at Ukyo but he addressed him all the same. “Then you can bring her here.”

The foundations of a plan were clearly forming in the beta’s mind.   
  
  
“Once it’s born you can fake an illness in the village and bring the doctor here, then she can help Kohaku and Kinro, they can deliver the phone. Taiju and Yuzuriha will probably jump at the chance to rescue Senku. I can use my mimicry and the record to impersonate Lillian and convince Tsukasa’s people to our side, it’ll probably be easier since he’s ruling through fear currently.” Gen’s face seemed to brighten. “We’ll save Senku.”   
  


“I think Yuzuriha is still putting statues back together.” Ukyo began, Gen and Chrome looked at him in surprise, the omega shrugged. “I saw her one day, gluing them back together, it’s part of the reason I wanted to switch sides.”

  
“There’s some holes in that plan, Gen, but it’s better than nothing.” Chrome commented, arms still wrapped around Kohaku. 

Ukyo did not fancy having to walk back through the snowy forest on his own, especially not in the dark. 

“We can discuss it in the morning then.” He supplied, Gen picked up on his hint.

”You can stay here as long as your absence won’t be noticed.” 

Ukyo felt awkward as they sat eating around the fire, he had brought bad news with him and the solemn mood could be seen in every person in the cave.   
  


Another feeling was also present, he could see it Gen’s eyes when he explained the plan, in Chrome and Kohaku. 

  
Determination.

_Hope_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chrome isn’t aware of who Ukyo is since he never got caught by him when trying to deliver the phone.
> 
> I also feel like this chapter came out a bit clunky, it’s here to set up future events really, the next chapters will probably flow better.


End file.
